Heat-exchange apparatus



Dec. 7,1926. Y 1,609,672

C. STICKLE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS Fil/@7d Oct. 28, 1922 2 Sheets-Shea?. 1'

Illlpllll I N V EN TOR.

COLE Snc/(Lf.

A TTORNEY.

lPatented Dee.` 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES COLE STIGKLEa OF INDIANAPLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T OPEN COIL .HEATER PUBIFIER COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION.

HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS.

Application led October 28,- 1922. Serial No. 597,594.

This invention relates to a heat exchange or transferring apparatus.

The invention is made particularly for use in connection with a' paper or cloth Vl drying' machine for utilizing the exhaust steam Y.and condensation water therefrom for heating the air in the rooms containing the' machines, but the invention is not limited to such use, as the source of heating Y iuid or liquid may bewother than that mentioned and the medium receiving the heat may be other than air.

The chief object ofthe invention is to transfer in a unit of time more of the availll able transferable heat from a heat-containing fluid, suc as exhaust steam or hot water, than. heretofore has been the practice to a surrounding medium such as air or the like'.v v t 90'" The chief feature of the invention con'- sists in passing a relatively thin layer .of the heated liquid, such as hot water, through 'a Hat substantially horizontal conductor whicheit does notY and cannot completely lland maintaipingthereina lower .pressure 'such as a partial vacuumythanthatftofwhich the heated liquid has-been .-previously Sub jected, .such 4as atmophericqor greater apres.

Iisure, whereby. when fthe .medium fto he 80 :heated .is passed around the conductor, 1t cools the contents, condensing the vapor causing a partial vacuum in -hefconductor which .automaticallyr releases therapor :from -the heated Huid :to cfillthe unoccupied p0rtion of the =conductor l.as .will ;be hereafter vmore fully explained.

Briefly, tlie inventiomoonsists ofya series of relatively aflat :elongated substantially horizontallydisposed conductors for cham!` "0 fliers connectedzat vtheilwends Ito lform .a .con-

-tinuous fsinuous coil through I`which .the

, heated 'fliquidiows .in :a thin filmand-about which .in `itlhe .steam gliberating rapace pre- :vided ithere. is :produced ithrough fmultiple evaporation and condensation@ .taper 31J? Q0 times fthat ofgtheliquid :from which ,it

. produced, and :passing ,around said conduc :tors air or :like imeans, through suitable \-rlrawingfor for-omg .apparatus .and Subj ectc 5 :conductor .to a -.vacuum pump for cingsthe pressure berein, .whereby heat temperature condensation to the cold air stallations.

A construction feature of the invention consists in Qthe sectionalized and battery arrangement of the included parts of the heat exchanger. Y

. The full nature of the invention will be understood from'the accompanying drawings and the vfollowing description and claims:

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the invention applied to exhaust. steam,

a portionof the heater casing being ibroken cel away to show in section thezseveral lsections of tiered heating units. ,Eig 2 ancend elevation of the simplest form of the .invention with the tiered units-shown inlongitu- 'dirial -section ,and .connected AArelation. Eig. .3 is an enlarged diagrammatic View .of the same form -of 5the invention, partsgbeing vbro'- .ken .away to show .the heater in section.

mais atop plan ,view-of one of the Aheat- ;ingfunits. Fig. 5 .is anendfelevationofftwo of the units in-superposed relation. .Figa ..6 isa central .sectional -view Iof a Jtherrnie .vac- .mum trap. Eig. 7 ,is T aftop plan riewof-:the heater showing the battery arrangement. Fig. 8 is amend viiewlof the ,heater with1the .casing removed :showing the 4end to v4end batterry .ar-rangement.

In figs. l, Tand Y8., there .is .shown the combination ofmeans'foncausing air to passV over thefhetngunits., .fthermic vacuummraps .and .8-vac11umpump associated with the-heat .exchanger .units which is adapted to handle .exhaust steam. -Figsi 2 and illustratethe .simpliied form 'of `the :invention adapted@ including .balanced valve :thermic -vacuum` ytrapaf ccnneetsthe vacuum {p11-mp .Supply slinezlmith thheeder- .The heatexchanger includesfthecas' and theiather end A3 siassoiabed with the .lio

.handle hot water., thethermc recuuintreps drawing air through the casing. A blower may secure the same o ration. The air passing through the casing abstracts heat from the heating units and thus is preheated and may be supplied to rooms or chambers,

wherein heated air is required. Specifically,

in paper and textile work the heated air is of value since it has greater capacity for moisture than cold or raw air and thus more eilicient operation in the aforesaid plants is obtainable.

Each section of the exchanger comprises a plurality of superposed substantially horizontally arranged heating units connected in reverse bend. arrangement. Eacli unit comprises a flat elongated tubular element 30 of cast metal and including eXteriorly positioned heat 4radiating fins 31. Upon opposite sides and at opposite ends of each element is a threaded opening 32 which is considerably smaller than the cross sectional area of the element and upon the opposite side therefrom is an abutment 33. When the elements are arranged in superposed or tiered relation close nipples 34: connect openings 32 and when thus connected abutments 33 separate the elements and provide an air passage therebetween and the spacing by reason of said abutment -is such that a very slight pitch is secured in each unit from the median plane therebetween whereby the elements are drained and can never fill with water. The coils are thus secured in reverse bend relation and the contractions correspond with the connections. In the present form of the invention each opening 32 is surrounded by a boss which assures that a portion of the liquid flowing along the bottom of the unit will always be retained .in said unit. The uppermost unit of each section may be provided with an auxiliary connection 37 if desired, as hereinafter described, but the uppermost unit of each section preferably is connected to the supply,Vv

line 17 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 8.

Each section is connected by an intake pipe 38 controlled by valve 39 with. header 18 andvsupply line 17. The lowermost unit has the discharge 40 controlled by valve 41. discharging into the thermicvacuum trap 42, which trap is shown in detail .in Fig. 6. The essential feature thereof is that it includes a by-pass for maintaining the vacuum land preventingthe steam from injuring the pump. A detailed description of the valve is not believed necessar since the same is set forth in Patent 0. 1,468,178, dated September 18, 1923. The area of the discharge aperture 40 is at least equal to the area of the inlet 32, and no portion of the passage between the inlet and the outlet has an area less than the area of the inlet.

The connection 37 in certain of the uppermost units connects to a live steam supply. The same is provided to permit raw or live steam to bev introduced into the intake or initial heating sections.

Briefly, the operation is as follows: When should be employed to protect the vacuum pump. Upon the initial supply of hot Water to the section a portion of the water is vaporized and the operation of the fan simultaneously therewith abstracts heat and the vapor condenses causing a partial vacuum. The vacuum pump thereupon maintains this vacuum. The result is that to fill the chamber above the channel a portion of the. `water flowing through theconductor immediately vaporizes and to do so it takes the necessaryv heat from the water passing therethrough and forms vapor. The volume of the vapor being much greater than that of the water the exchange of heat is accelerated. As the heat is abstracted from this vapor and also from the water by the air passing over the conductors, the temperature of both and the conductorsis simultaneously reduced. This causes the vapor to condense and thus a succession of vaporizations and condensations occur throughout each section until finally the lovvermostA section discharges cooler Water. Since the intake at the top of the lsection is no greater than the outlet in the' bottom of the section, `the sections cannot fill unless the temperature gets so low that the water will freeze. To prevent such action the raw steam supply connection previously described is provided and the temgiven temperature and pressure slowly f through a conductor which it cannot lill and at a reduced pressure, whereby there generated from the liquid a vapor that llls the unoccupied portion of the conductor, and which subsequently recondenses as the 'temperature falls by .reason of continued heat abstraction, whereby cyclic vaporization and condensation is obtained resulting in a higher rate of heat transference than heretofore` obtainable in condensers or heaters..

The invention clai'med is 1. A heat exchange apparatus including an elongated and substantially horizontally disposed conductor having a relatively shallow chamber' formed therein and adapted to receive a thin filmof heated liquid in the lower part thereof and leaving the' upper part of the chamber for receiving vapor formed from said iiquid, means for supplying heated liquid to said conductor, means acting externally for abstracting heat trom the chamber for condensing the vapor therein thereby forming a partial vacuum therein, and means for maintaining the partial vacuum for permitting vaporization of the liquid.

2. A heat exchange apparatus including an elongated conductor, means for supplying heated liquid for partially filling the same and leaving a chamber above the liquid for vapor to be formed therefrom, means acting externally for abstracting heat from the chamber for condensing the vapor therein and thereby forming a partial vacuum therein, means for maintaining the partial vacuum for permitting the vaporiz'ation of the liquid, and casing means enclosing said conductor and connected to the externally acting means for abstracting heat.

3. A heat exchange apparatus including a conductor adapted to receive a thin lm of heated liquid only in the bottom thereof, means for supplying heated liquid to one end thereof, an exhaust from the other end of the conductor, and vacuum producing means for maintaining a reduced pressure in said conductor for vaporizing part of the liquid to till the remainder of the conductor.

4. A device as delined by claim 3, characterized by the addition of a casing enclosing the conductor, and means for moving air through the casing for rapidly abstracting heat from the conductor.

5. The combination with means for main-4 taining a vacuum, and means for continuously supplying a heated vaporizable liquid, of heat exchange apparatus having a casing including an air passage therethrough, and heat transferring means in said casing connected to the liquid supply means at one end and to the vacuum means at its opposite end, said heat transferring means comprising a relatively flat elongated tubular element including a lower liquid conducting channel forming portion, and an upper vapor confining chamber forming portion in substantially continuous open communication, said element being arranged to prevent filling with liquid when in operation.

6. The combination with means for maintaining a vacuum, and means for continuously supplying heated vaporizable liquid, of heat exchange apparatus having a casing including an air passage therethrough, and heat transferring means in said casing having one end communicating with the liquid supply means and its opposite end with the vacuum means, and comprising a plurality of relatively flat elongated tubular elements, each including a lower liquid conducting channel forming portion and an upper vapor confining chamber forming portion in substantially continuous open communication, and outlet and intake means forming contractions at opposite ends of each element, adjacent elements being connected thereby to provide communication between the elements.

7. A device of the character detined by claim 6, characterized by said elements being arranged in superposed and reversed relation, whereby the connecting contractions form return bends.

8. A heat exchange apparatus having an air passage therethrough and a branchless heat supplying passage therein, said` last mentioned passage having an inlet and an outlet, means for maintaining the latter at a lower pressure than the inlet, said passage including a lower liquid conducting channel forming portion and an upper vapor contining chamber forming portion thereabove, the outlet of the passage being at least as large as the inlet Whereb at least as much of the heating medium is ischarged through the outlet in a given time as is supplied to the passage through the inlet in the same time.

9. A device of the character defined vby claim 8 characterized by the area of any portion of the heat supplying passage being not less than the area of the inlet.

10. A device of the character defined by claim 8, characterized by the area of any portion of the passage being not less than the area of the outlet.

ln Witness whereof, l have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

COLE STICKLE. 

